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General News

10 February, 2019

Cost of youth education continues to rise in QLD


THE cost of education is a hot-button issue amongst families in this country, and new statistics released courtesy of the Australia Scholarships Group (ASG) suggest it will remain a pertinent talking point as there are some staggering figures in the report, particularly in regional Queensland.

The 2019 ASG Planning for Education Index identified and compared the total cost of Government, Catholic and Independent education across each state and territory in Australia, and found that regional Queensland is the most expensive state for a Catholic education (report excludes metropolitan cities).

Catholic education in regional Queensland is three per cent above the national average when compared to that of other regional areas in the states and territories throughout Australia.

The average cost of a Catholic education in regional Queensland is $113,211 over a 13 year period, whilst the national average is $109,877.

Added to that, Government education in regional Queensland is $65,410 over the same period, which is 12.8 per cent above the national average and only second to regional New South Wales ($73,808) for the most expensive in Australia.

ASG Chief Executive Officer Ross Higgins said irrespective of Australia’s high or low inflationary environment, the cost of education has risen at more than double the rate of inflation.

“Education costs, including tuition costs, uniforms, transport and devices are demanding a far greater share of the family budget than in the past,” he said.

“More than ever, the costs associated with education are placing more of a burden on Australian families, who are already challenged by the rising cost of living.

“With less discretionary money to spend, it’s going to be very hard to pay for education...”

Mr Higgins said ASG have been doing this survey for the past 11 years; however this year’s model was different to year’s past.

“We surveryed 2300 people, and found families often weren’t countering in education costs when they weighed up their household budget,” he said.

“They’ll factor in things like their mortgage and car repayments, yet don’t think about how much the cost of education is impacting them financially.”

For more information on the cost of education in Australia, the 2019 ASG Planning for Education Index can be found online at www.asg.com.au.

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